


Broken Bones

by SoulOfAFangirl684



Category: Digimon - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, But shouldn't be too graphic, Car Accidents, Emotional, F/M, Family, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Real Events, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Recovery, Rekindling Friendships, Tragedy, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Will get dark at times, multiple character deaths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-08-07 17:57:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16413173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulOfAFangirl684/pseuds/SoulOfAFangirl684
Summary: Sora always regretted the way she and Tai drifted apart after their short-lived relationship. Now in their final year of high school, a tragedy will finally push her to rekindle their friendship. There are some things you can never be prepared for. AU





	1. Prologue: Drifting

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first story that I'm simultaneously posting to fanfiction and AO3. All the other multi-chapter stories of mine have been cross-posted after they've already been completed. I don't have a set updating schedule in place for this story. But I'm not planning for it to be super long. Maybe 10 chapters or so. We'll see. 
> 
> This will also be the first story of mine that features the Sorato pairing. I’m personally a huge Taiora fan, and that’s always what I’ve written in the past. That hasn’t changed. I like to think of this sort of as me coming to terms with Sora and Matt as a romantic pairing. (It’s no exaggeration to say it felt like a personal betrayal as a child.) So this is not going to be one of those stories where she starts out with Matt in the beginning but gets together with Tai by the end. We’ll talk about it more as the plot develops and you get to see what this story’s actually about, but I do want to say from the start that the focus will be more on friendship than romance.

As a child, if Sora had been asked which of her friends she was most likely to end up with, she would have pointed to Tai. Of course she would. In that regard, she was just like everyone else. In their early days, they seemed unable to escape this talk of how _perfect_ they were for each other. How nicely they’d always fit together, how well she complemented him. It was only a matter of time, really.

But when they did come together, the perfect union ended up not being so perfect after all. Maybe it was the weight of all the expectations behind it. Or maybe it was just that they were thirteen and not as prepared for a serious relationship as they’d thought. In any case, it wasn’t to be.

Sora was looking for a _boyfriend_. Tai expected their relationship to mimic their friendship, just maybe they’d be a little closer, spend even more time together. In the whole seven months they were together, they kissed maybe three or four times. Tai seemed a bit uncomfortable when she’d pushed him to hold her hand when they walked through the halls. They barely talked that summer after school let out.

They’d never really run in the same circles. Tai’s sportiness made him popular. They’d reached an age where Sora’s stubborn tomboyishness made others think she was a little odd. Or gay. (They were also at that age where stereotypes ran wild— _and_ their peers actually believed them.) She returned to school their last year of junior high to one of his pettier friends taunting her with the knowledge that Tai had been seen with other girls over their summer break.

She was sure it was true. She knew Tai was something of a social butterfly. She knew he’d been out with his friends—many of whom were girls—over the summer. She doubted anything risqué had taken place, as this one girl was insinuating. Sora had begun to realize that Tai was a bit immature. She didn’t think he was ready to pursue a romantic relationship with _any_ girl just yet. Herself included, sadly.

Still, she held on for a while, reluctant to throw in the towel. In the end, Tai came to the same conclusion himself. He was the one to break up with her, and even though she’d known it was coming, she wasn’t quite able to hold back her tears. It didn’t help, of course, that he’d chosen to end things in the middle of a school dance, with more of their peers than she could count eavesdropping from the sidelines. (Nice one, Tai. Mimi had given him a thorough tongue-lashing the following day.)

And that was it. They were young and immature and they’d dated for such a short time. It really shouldn’t have been the end of them entirely. But perhaps that also had to do with that middle school age. Things between them were just unbearably awkward in the aftermath. They tried to go back to being regular friends, but now there was this constant baggage hanging over them. They weren’t just Tai and Sora anymore. They were now ‘People Who Had Once Dated.’ Or more importantly, ‘People Who Had Broken Up.’ They couldn’t escape this knowledge that they had apparently not been so compatible after all.

Ultimately, they drifted apart. It was a lingering regret of hers. Most times, she tried not to let her mind go there. What’s done is done. But when she did find herself reminiscing, Sora found herself wishing they’d never tried to be more than friends in the first place. Perhaps then they would at least still _be_ friends.

**…………**

They grew older, left their middle school days behind. Tai had a few more experimental girlfriends, none of whom lasted any longer than she had. Sora remained single… until their junior year of high school when an unlikely candidate made himself known.

Matt had been a mutual friend. He’d known Tai for almost as long as she had, and he’d never really fit into Tai’s crowd either. Matt was a little on the fringe, a bit edgy and extremely self-reflective. He’d asked her out one day, barely able to look her in the eye. But she’d taken him up on his offer, and she hadn’t regretted it yet.

They weren’t as storybook opposite as she and Tai had been. She liked to think she and Matt complemented each other in different ways. He was quietly emotional and intense. She wore her heart on her sleeve. But they were usually on the same page, and he _understood_ her. She loved their talks, and she often found she didn’t have to explain herself to Matt—he already knew the things she valued most.

There were some who—even after all this time apart—saw it as a betrayal, her next boyfriend being one of Tai’s closest friends. But they were upfront about it from the beginning, and Tai never seemed to be anything but supportive and happy for them.

Time passed, it slowly stopped being a taboo subject—Matt and Sora getting together. They had Tai’s blessing, they were happy, and Sora was ready to believe they were in it for the long run.

**…………**

They entered their senior year of high school and began preparing for the world beyond. Sora quickly noticed a theme amongst her assignments. All of her teachers were asking them to focus on the bare bones of their lives—identify the things that made them who they were.

It was an interesting shift in their education, if stressful at times. Sora did appreciate the effort being made to turn them into competent, well-adjusted adults. (Even if she did also believe that there were some things that could only be learned through first-hand experience.)

But something would happen the winter of her last year of high school that would break those bones that structured her life.

There are some things you can never be prepared for.


	2. Hush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be the extra long author’s note at the end that basically details out my intentions for this story, as promised, but first off, apologies are in order. I really didn’t mean to drop that bomb and then leave you all hanging. I was really sick for about two weeks on top of the usual end-of-semester craziness. So I did intend to have this up a lot sooner. But we’re here now, and I hope to keep updating at a reasonable pace from now on.

Sora wasn’t sure how long she stayed on the floor. Above her, Mimi hadn’t gotten up from her seat either. She hadn’t closed out of the page she was on, but she wasn’t actively perusing anymore either. Their search was complete. Sora wasn’t sure she could handle any more information tonight, and she was sure Mimi felt the same.

Somewhere further back in the house, the shrill sound of the phone ringing cut through their silence. Mrs. Tachikawa’s answer was muffled, but they both sat up a little straighter when they heard her footsteps drawing closer.

Mimi’s mom, still happily oblivious, poked her head into the room, cordless phone in one hand. “Sora, your mom’s trying to get a hold of you; she said your cell keeps going to voicemail?”

Her hand instinctively went to her bag. She’d shut it off earlier in the afternoon, trying to be a good influence on her study buddy. If her mom had heard about the crash as well, she could only imagine what was going through her mind. So she reached for the house phone, trying to subtly rub away the tear tracks on her face in the process. Mimi’s mother didn’t seem to have picked up on their gloom. She handed over the phone and left the girls to themselves.

Sora cleared the croak out of her throat as best she could before answering, “Hello?”

“Sora!” She could hear it immediately in her mom’s voice. The panic and its resistance to the comforting truth it was being presented with—that her daughter on the other end of the line was still safe and whole. “Oh, thank god…”

“Mom…” she started, but her mother was already pressing forward.

“Honey, there was a car crash earlier… Some kids from your school…”

“I know,” Sora interrupted, but she couldn’t seem to muster up any strength behind her voice.

“Oh. Well…” Her mom didn’t seem to be having the same problem. Her voice was much firmer when she went on. “Sora, I want you to come home now. I’ll come get you.”

“What? Mom, no.” Sora took a deep breath. She knew her mother was just worried, shaken like they were. “Mimi needs me here.”

“But Sora—”

“We’re getting in touch with a lot of our classmates, seeing if anyone has news. I don’t want to sit around our house and just mope…” She gentled her voice, getting to the real issue at hand. “Mom, we’re okay. And we won’t leave Mimi’s apartment, I promise. I’ll stay over like we planned and walk to school with Mimi in the morning.”

“Oh, Sora… You really think they’ll have regular classes tomorrow?”

That gave her pause. “After all, they were a rather small, tight-knit community that had just lost four—potentially five—of its members. It was hard to imagine things going on like usual after something like this. But… “I think they’ll try to get things back to normal as soon as possible. And I don’t think there will be many absences. Everyone will want to see how their friends are doing. And I know _I_ feel like it’s just… where I need to be right now.”

“I’m sure you’re right… I just needed to hear your voice.” She could practically hear her mother’s shudder over the phone and tried not to linger on what she must be picturing. “I love you, Sora.”

The sincerity in her mom’s voice made the lump well up in her throat again. Her own voice was reduced to a whisper. “I love you too… I’ll call you again before we leave in the morning.”

Her mom ended the call before she could find a way to put her heartache into words—that the tragedy _had_ hit close to home and she wasn’t sure how they were supposed to move forward. But all she had was the dial tone in her ear.

Sora remained frozen for a minute, finally putting down the house phone and instead digging her cell out of her backpack. She scrolled through her contacts, stopping on one number… She glanced over her shoulder at Mimi, who smiled in understanding and turned back to her computer as Sora quietly stepped out of the room.

She pressed _call_ and waited… and waited. Matt’s phone rang and rang but went to voicemail before anyone could pick up. Sora knew the same thing would happen if she redialed. Matt’s phone was always in reach. If he missed her call, it was either because he didn’t want to talk… or because there’d been a new development in TK’s condition.

The thought made her stomach churn. Her mother’s words played back through her head. _I just needed to hear your voice._ She would have given an awful lot just to talk to Matt for even a minute or two, no matter what state he was in. She flipped gloomily through her other contacts and found that she still had Tai’s number… but chickened out before she could try him instead. Their existing awkwardness aside, what would she have said if he _had_ picked up? At least in Matt’s case there was still hope. And she had far too much decency to even think about pressing him for information.

She joined Mimi in her room again and silently shook her head in response to the other girl’s questioning glance. “Any news?”

“Nothing good. I got in touch with Meiko while you were gone. Her mom works in the emergency room. I guess the accident happened right before the end of her shift.”

Her heart leapt into her throat. “And did she say anything about TK?”

Mimi bit her bottom lip, her expression conflicted like she thought it might be better if Sora didn’t know. “Like I said, it’s not good. When she left, they were saying his chances were only around 30 percent.”

“Of _surviving_?”

Mimi nodded, and Sora dropped down into a chair. The two girls lapsed into silence. There wasn’t much more to be said. Not long afterwards, Mimi logged off and the two crawled into bed for the night. They lay awake in silence for a long time, staving off the nightmares for as long as possible.

**…………**

Sora called her mother the next morning, as promised. She wasn’t sure how much of a consolation it was to her mom, but her own conviction hadn’t wavered. They had to return to school and face this loss alongside their classmates at some point. It was no use putting it off.

Sora thought the uncharacteristic quiet of the Tachikawa household as they got ready that morning was unnerving. But nothing could have prepared her for what they encountered at the school that day.

It was apparent from the moment they walked in the door. The hush. There were hundreds of footsteps, sneakers squeaking, the usual din of lockers clanking open and then being slammed shut… But not a single voice could be heard down any of the halls. Occasionally they would pass two or three students huddled together, tears on their faces. They were immediately recognizable as the ones personally affected in some way. The atmosphere infected the two of them as well. When it came time for Sora and Mimi to part ways for homeroom, it was done with nothing more than a quick wave and a silent nod.

Sora collected the books for her first few classes, wincing at the harsh sound her locker made afterwards. She made eye contact with a few of her classmates but still said nothing; and they did the same.

This school was the smallest in the district—a small community on the edge of the crowded city life. Sora wasn’t sure this _actually_ made the student body any closer than in a bigger school—she’d grown up in an atmosphere that was very clique-y—but that was definitely the message the administration tried to push. She couldn’t imagine how they would address this, but all their previous propaganda seemed to have done its job. She doubted most of the students in this school knew any of the victims—even distantly—but this atmosphere of grief sure made everyone feel like it was personal.

Homeroom was equally quiet. Her teacher took attendance—and she was right; there wasn’t a single absence—but said nothing about the accident. He didn’t have to. When they turned on the television for morning announcements, they got a subdued greeting from the two members of the AV classroom that would usually read the daily news before the screen faded to black and then faded back in to a visual of the principal standing atop the auditorium stage.

Before today, Sora would have said the previous three years had immunized her to his blustery, cheesy speeches meant to bring them all together. They were usually met with varying degrees of disinterest and mockery… Maybe the freshman, at least, were a little moved by them. But today was different.

As the principal welcomed them all back and informed them all that an accident had taken place the previous afternoon, Sora kept her head down, like she couldn’t meet his eyes even through a screen. She wasn’t even sure why. After all, today should have been the one speech she could get behind and connect with. But it just felt… wrong. She didn’t doubt his personal sincerity, but she also didn’t want this tragedy used as just another tool to unite the student body.

Her hands clenched into fists atop her desk as he lamented the loss of Sam, Ken, Davis, and Kari. As he shared his own prayers and well wishes for TK, still fighting for his life in the hospital… A moment of silence was held—throughout which she could hear sniffles from the surrounding desks—and she finally looked up as he informed them that there would be grief counselors set up in the library for the rest of the week, and any students in need of their services were welcome to go there at any time.

The screen faded to black, and the bell rang to signal the end of homeroom. They all rose to their feet, and Sora could see the same feeling of bewilderment on everyone else’s faces. Were they really supposed to go about their regular day in the midst of all this? Apparently so. But anyone could see that would be easier said than done. It certainly set the tone when she exited the classroom and saw the French teacher across the way wiping her eyes at her desk.

She soon learned she shouldn’t have bothered with her books. In each and every one of her morning classes, her teachers started off the period with a short speech about the accident—occasionally accompanied by personal reminiscences if they’d had any of the victims in class—before disregarding the lesson entirely. It was nothing compared to the traumatized hush of the hallways, but all the classrooms remained quiet. There were some tears, a few leaving to join the more stricken mourners in the library, a few stories shared during brief moments of respite… Sora kept her mouth shut, tried to get ahead on her notes whenever things settled down. She caught a few sympathetic glances sent her way. Matt, predictably, was one of the few absences that day, and everyone knew of her connection to him—and hence, her personal link to one of the victims. But no one asked her outright if she had any more information than anyone else.

The cafeteria was the only place filled with a constant low murmur of conversation. (And this in itself was striking compared to the usual din you had to shout to hear yourself over.) Sora was finally able to meet back up with Mimi, who looked troubled by the stricken atmosphere around them. Like all the other tables, they kept their voices soft.

“It’s just so eerie,” Mimi said while Sora picked at her food. “Like, I keep waiting for something to break the spell. Kari and Davis were both in my chorus class… As well as you know, like a third of the whole school, and it was just… sad. The teacher took us all into the auditorium to sit on the bleachers for the whole period… I’ve never seen a room—that was designed specifically for its acoustics! —stay that quiet with that many people in it…”

Sora nodded, pushing away her lunch tray. “All of my classes have been like that. I’m not even sure what I want anymore. It’s starting to feel kind of pointless to be here, but how can you expect any of the teachers to hold class like this?”

This view was tested soon after. Sora only had two more classes to sit through, and each was challenging in its own way. Microbiology—a science alternative reserved for juniors and seniors—was especially rough. Her teacher may have _taught_ the higher grades, but this hallway was home to the sophomore lockers and homerooms. Sora wasn’t sure if she actually had any of the lost students in her homeroom, but she was sure to be familiar with them all, and she gave one of the more heartfelt speeches Sora heard from any of her teachers that day. If anything, Mrs. Himekawa seemed a little lost herself, bowled over by the loss.

And there was one other thing Sora had forgotten. About halfway through Mrs. Himekawa’s lament, a boy on the other side of the room broke down completely, his sobs drowning out her words. The sound made Sora’s heart clench. By the time she located the source, another student was gently leading one of the juniors out of the room. Ryo. Sora couldn’t say she knew him too well, but she did know he had been close to the Ichijouji brothers.

There was a moment of awkward silence as their footsteps faded away. At last, their teacher wrapped up her speech with, “You see, there’s a perfect example of why it’s so important that you all be there for each other. You never know who’ll be your rock.”

Mrs. Himekawa’s class was probably the most… relaxing of the day, strange as that may sound. Finally, the hush seemed to be conquered. Mrs. Himekawa put on some low classical music in the background, and finally, they felt free to talk. Ryo returned, looked a little more composed, just as Sora’s friend Eri turned to her.

“Have you heard anything from Matt or Tai?” Her expression was already sympathetic, but Sora just shook her head.

“Matt wasn’t answering his phone last night.” Or this morning… “Not that I blame him, of course. I’m trying to stay positive. I’m sure I would have heard something if there was bad news, at least.”

Eri nodded, mulling that over. She hadn’t heard anything more either. They lapsed back into the now-familiar silence, but it was comfortable this time.

She was genuinely disappointed to leave when her microbiology period ended. It felt like they’d created this little barrier from the rest of the school, if not from the tragedy itself. Walking out into the unnatural silence of the hallway felt like a step backwards. But she trudged ahead to her final class of the day.

Sora’s math teacher was new to the school—only two years in—and not quite entrenched in the culture the principal tried so hard to bring to this school. He was greeted to a classroom of blank stares when they were instructed to take out their books like any other day. (Sora was relieved she’d decided to grab them. The way the rest of the day had gone, she’d considered showing up empty-handed.) Mr. Mizuno’s tone was not harsh, but he left no room for argument as he informed them that the grief counseling in the library was available at any time for anyone who felt they needed the support, but as long as they were in class, there was a lot of material they had to cover before the end of the year.

Sora was shocked at first—and she had to admit, maybe a little betrayed—but no one got up and left, and as the lesson went on, Sora found the normalcy to be its own sort of relaxing. Comfortably ordinary.

She wasn’t sure how much she learned that day. (Not that math had ever been her strongest subject anyway.) But the ordinariness gave her courage. When the last bell of the day rang, she holed up in the stairwell farthest from the entrance and dialed Matt’s number on more time.

Once again it rang… and rang… and finally, “Hey, Sora…”

“Matt.” His voice was a croak. She wouldn’t be surprised to learn he hadn’t slept for even a few seconds the night before. Her own was little more than a whisper.

They didn’t mince words. He didn’t apologize for ignoring her earlier calls, and she didn’t need him to. “Are you still at the hospital?”

“Yeah. We haven’t left since we got the call.” She heard a soft huff on the other end—a sad imitation of laughter. “It’s crazy. Seeing us together now… You’d almost think my parents were still married.”

Sora winced and closed her eyes for a moment. She knew his parents’ divorce had hit him hard. Matt had been a very angry kid. Even now, ten years down the road, neither of his parents had ever remarried, and Sora knew both of their sons still held unspoken wishes of a reunion one day. There was no point in beating around the bush.

“Is there… any news?”

She heard Matt clear his throat and then answer shakily, “They’ve got him stabilized for now, but uh…” He had to stop to clear his throat again. “It’s bad, Sora. They’re prepping him now for another surgery… And once everything’s reconstructed and… put back together… They say they’re probably gonna have to keep him in a coma for a while…”

Matt trailed off and after a moment of silence, Sora heard sobbing on the other line. She knew how Matt felt about crying in front of other people—even her—and she waited it out. She didn’t try to tell him everything would be okay. He knew she couldn’t promise that. But she’d learned today that steady silence could be comforting too, and she wanted to make sure Matt knew that she would still be around no matter how it turned out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for the long author’s note and the explanation, if you will. I’m not quite sure where to start, but I know I’ve already mentioned that this story is based on a personal experience of mine. 
> 
> The beginning, I guess, is that I recently went back to therapy, and we’ve been talking a lot about regrets I have, and one of my older ones is encompassed in this story. There was a boy I was friends with in middle school who I briefly dated and then drifted away from after we broke up. When we were in high school, his sister and four other students were involved in a horrific car crash that killed all but one of them, and his sister was unfortunately one of the deaths. He kind of spiraled downward afterwards, and to this day, I wish I’d bridged that gap between us so I could have been there for him in the aftermath. 
> 
> That’s basically where this story comes in. We haven’t seen much of Tai yet, but that is the role he will play in this story, where the fact will turn more into fiction. A ‘what if’ sort of scenario, where Sora does get back in touch with him and tries to help him through this. I know I’ve already said it, but it’s important for me to make clear here that the intention of this story is not for Sora and Tai to fall in love and get back together. I’m generally a Taiora fan, but that’s just not the point here.
> 
> And I just wanted to touch a little on the specifics and things I changed. Obviously, the whole half of the story where Sora (and also Matt to a degree) reconnect with Tai is the story part of it. But most of the beginning and practically all of the real, nitty gritty details you see throughout surrounding the accident is kept true to the real event. (I’ve gone back through some old news articles and done some research to refresh myself, but a lot of it I do still remember quite vividly.) This chapter, for instance, is taken exactly from my memory. That first day back is the thing I remember most clearly about this whole event, specifically the silence in the halls all day long. I know I lingered on that a lot while writing this chapter, but I’m not sure it’s something I can really get across if you’ve never experienced that kind of… hush. Honestly, how many of you can imagine walking through the halls of your high school and it just being pin-drop quiet? 
> 
> The changes I’ve made are mostly minor. The names, obviously. And I was actually a freshman the year it happened, whereas I’ve made Sora a senior. (This change made a lot more sense early on, when I planned to keep the age difference between the siblings the same—having TK and Kari be freshman so that they could all be in the same school. But that ended up not really being plausible in the context of the story, so there’s not a two-year age gap between the younger siblings and older brothers instead of the canon four.) But most of the other details are true to the way things actually happened. The science class portrayed in this chapter in particular stands out to me. Obviously, I was not taking microbiology as a freshman. But I did have that same teacher my freshman and years, and the crash’s sole survivor was in my class two years down the road, so I did get a sort of close-up perspective on his recovery later on.
> 
> Anyway, I’ll end this here for now. Basically, this story is a way for me to finally work through my experience with this event. And the details and changes are things that feel important to me, so I’ll keep you all updated in later chapters on the behind-the-scenes things. Thank you for reading this far!


	3. Crash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have quite a long author’s note prepared for my personal relationship with this story, but I think I’m going to save it for the next chapter. This one sets up the events of the story, but I think it will be a more fitting conclusion for the next one, which I think is more about setting the tone.

It was early December of her senior year. The academic workload was beginning to pick up schoolwide, but everyone’s thoughts were already directed towards Christmas.

December seventh had been such an ordinary Tuesday. Looking back, Sora honestly couldn’t recall anything about the day itself that had stuck out, given her an eerie feeling about what was to come. But she remembered that afternoon vividly and suspected she always would.

She was staying the night at Mimi’s house, helping her younger friend with a history paper. The Sengoku period… She’d found it vaguely interesting herself, but getting Mimi motivated had been like pulling teeth.

It was almost seven PM. The first snow of the year had not yet arrived, but winter was most certainly upon them. It was already pitch black outside. They were in the middle of their third break since arriving home at three. Sora had turned to her own homework with an exasperated sigh. Mimi had pulled open a new tab, catching up on her social media with an expert’s grace. Sometimes she thought it was these moments she remembered most vividly. The seconds right before it all came crashing down.

“Oh my god…” It was Mimi’s voice that broke the moment. Her words got Sora’s attention immediately. It was a tone she’d never heard from Mimi before—hushed, shaky, an awful mix between horror and terror.

“What is it?” Sora asked, already afraid of the answer. Her friend’s hand—also trembling—had frozen over the keyboard, her face pale.

Mimi swallowed. “There was a car crash this afternoon. A bunch of kids from our school. They’re saying at least three of them are dead.”

“What? Who?!” Fear pushed Sora to her feet, books and pens scattering around her.

Mimi unfroze. “Uh, younger kids, I’m pretty sure. Hang on, I’ll find out.”

Sora moved to hover over Mimi’s shoulder, her heart still racing. The screen before her was flying so fast, Sora wasn’t sure how Mimi could absorb anything. But maybe _she_ was just too frazzled to focus.

“Okay,” Mimi said softly. “I think I found something.” There was a news article pulled up before her. “At around 4:30 this afternoon, a car carrying five local teens struck a tree…” She was skimming now, searching for the most crucial information. “Three were pronounced dead at the scene, two others were brought to the hospital in critical condition…” She let out a sharp groan of annoyance. “They’re holding back the names, because they’re all minors!”

Sora glanced at the clock. 7:30. “They might not _know_ their identities yet. It’s only been a few hours,” she offered.

But Mimi had already moved on to less official news sources, scanning through what their other classmates were saying. At last she came back with, “Okay… It looks like it was four sophomores and one junior…”

Sora was almost ashamed to say a bit of the weight was lifted from her shoulders, for just a second. It was no one from _her_ classes. It wasn’t Matt—the fear she hadn’t even allowed herself to _think_ , much less say aloud. But she remembered, a second later that the junior could very well be one of Mimi’s friends. And it wasn’t like the grades were kept completely separate. There were plenty of sophomores she was friendly with—siblings of kids in her classes, younger girls on the tennis team. And so her muscles tightened up again.

“Oh,” she said softly, her movements slowing again. “The driver was Sam Ichijouji.”

Sora recognized the name, though she couldn’t pull up a face to match it. “The kid who won that regional science fair last year?” There was talk around the school of Sam Ichijouji’s IQ being on the level of actual genius. He was one of those students that everyone seemed to know _of_ at least, if not actually _know_.

“Yeah.” Mimi’s voice was shaky. Sora knew her faint laugh was just an attempt to cover up her shock. “He was in my Modern Literature class. I always thought he was kind of a snob…”

“What about the sophomores?” Sora asked gently, refocusing her.

“Oh, uh…” She started scrolling again. “Oh, god…” (Sora was starting to wish Mimi didn’t feel the need to preface every new piece of information with an exclamation of horror.) “One of the others was Sam’s brother Ken. _Both_ the Ichijoujis are dead.”

Sora actually brought a hand up to her chest and closed her eyes for a moment. A pang went through her chest at the thought of what their parents must be going through right now. But Mimi wasn’t stopping this time.

“Here’s a post from Jun Motomiya—her brother Davis was one of the ones taken to the hospital—Oh… He died in surgery about an hour ago.” Her voice petered out.

Sora felt that block of ice solidifying in the pit of her stomach again. Just what she’d feared. Jun was in her grade; they’d shared a few classes over the years. She wouldn’t say they were on the best terms. Jun had a blatant _thing_ for Matt. But it was hard to focus on that now. And Davis Motomiya was definitely a name she was familiar with. This news was steadily getting closer to home.

Mimi took a deep breath, and Sora just _knew_ the next one was going to be bad. That her friend was mentally prepping to rip off the Band-Aid. “The other one brought to the hospital was TK.”

Even somewhat expecting it, Sora felt her knees go weak. She threw a hand out to grip the back of Mimi’s chair. The words barely made it out of her mouth. “Is there any… I mean, is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” Mimi answered with her usual honesty. “I can’t find any updates about TK… Just well-wishes and prayers. So he’s probably still in surgery.”

She tried not to focus on the knowledge that getting to the operating room hadn’t done Davis any good. She tried not to think about what the kind of car crash that killed four people looked like.

And then Mimi dropped the last bomb, and Sora dropped to her knees, sobs wracking her body.

“The last death was Kari Kamiya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I got into a state of mind while writing out the death reveals that I was just… stating the facts. Keeping the fictionalized version of this story as true to reality as possible. But I realize how attached people get to characters, and in hindsight, I hope this didn’t feel like I dropped too much on you at once.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I already left a lengthy opening note… There’s a lot more I want to go into… This is loosely based on an actual event in my life—a lot of specifics have changed—but the overall details I kept the same. This has been something I’ve wanted to mentally work through as a story for a long time, and I expect it to be an emotional journey, but I’m glad I’ve finally gotten around to it. Thank you for reading this far.


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